It's a dream come true for me: Rajat Patidar on maiden India call-up

On the eve of India’s ODI series against South Africa, one of the fresh faces who bagged his maiden call-up to the national side after a sumptuous run ever since his return to the IPL, Rajat Patidar, spoke at length about the precious feeling that any Indian cricketer is bestowed with to wear the national jersey for the first time.

Patidar has been in phenomenal touch since IPL 2022 where he also stitched a brilliant century in the eliminator against the Lucknow Super Giants and extended his fine run of form to the Ranji Trophy before showcasing his class in unofficial and Test and ODI series against New Zealand A.

Talking to BCCI.tv, Rajat said, “It's a dream come true for me. The IPL was the turning point for me. But I feel I have the ability to play all three formats. I am trying to focus on the processes [of the formats] differently. I want to keep myself in the present, and play to the demands of the team."

Patidar’s philosophy is simple. He likes to control the controllables while the ones beyond are left to chance. He has made peace with the fact that selection and rejections are just two facets of being a cricketer that one needs to accept, especially in the ever-evolving and ever-demanding cricket circuit.

After failing to find a spot in any IPL franchise at the IPL auction, he was called up by RCB as a replacement for Luvnith Sisodia, and once given a spot in the side, he showcased his class and confidence with every passing game that culminated into a full-blown ton against the Super Giants in the eliminator ensued by a decent half-century against the Royals in the qualifier.

He followed up his impressive run in the IPL with another stirring 323 runs in the knockout stages of the Ranji Trophy where he registered a half-century in every single game. Talking about his batting technique, Rajat said, “Especially if you talk about batting, I also don't judge myself on performance," he had said after the Ranji final. "I need to get that feel - the shots are good, the balance is there, the head is in the right position. Till I don't get that feel, I don't feel I'm in good form. Obviously, it is every batsman's job to score runs, but for me, if I feel good about my batting, the runs come automatically."